Archives for 4 May 2018

From 9 to 11 May researchers, scientists, practitioners and policy makers will gather in Port Elizabeth to explore how to address key tensions and opportunities arising from implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals in Africa.
A three-day conference The Seedbeds of Transformation will bring together innovators from research, government, industry, NGOs and the media to explore the tensions and opportunities around implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa. The meeting will draw on experts from across the continent.
“Seedbeds of Transformation: The Role of Science with Society and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa” is hosted by Future Earth, the South African Government Department of Science and Technology, the National Research Foundation of South Africa, and START. It will take place from 9 to 11 May 2018 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa at the Boardwalk Hotel.
Africa has made significant social progress in recent years, from enrolling children in primary schools to reducing the rate of maternal deaths and the proportion of people living in poverty. The number and diversity of African initiatives dedicated to addressing global change and sustainability challenges has also increased.
But there are huge challenges in implementing the SDGs. There are problems in tracking the SDGs due to lack of data. There are tensions and trade-offs between various SDGs – for example whether to promote water conservation or food production – and there are criticisms that the SDG framework itself is top-down and in some cases unsuitable for various African contexts.
The conference will examine different practices and approaches to working with these tensions and dilemmas from an African perspective, and enhance dialogue and openness about the challenges of working with, and implementing, the SDGs. The focus of the conference includes ocean health, ecosystem change, sustainable cities and the impact of digitalisation.
The conference will engage scholars, practitioners, and policy experts from across Africa to share information, ideas, and products that showcase innovative efforts.
Conference speakers highlights:
Amy Luers, Executive Director of Future Earth, former Obama and Google executive
Belay Begashaw, Director General to the Sustainable Development Goals Centre for Africa
Peter … [Read more...]

Dear MyPE
The DA will write once again to the Higher Education and Training Portfolio Committee Chairperson, Cornelia September, requesting her to urgently summon the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) to explain why thousands of students have still not received funding.
We have already written once to Ms September but no definite response has been received, while ANC members of the Committee were actually adamantly against having NSFAS appear.
The Nelson Mandela University and other colleges have been shut down, allegedly since Wednesday, as a result of being unable to buy food, supplies, or pay rent. Protests are likely to escalate.
Students are disappointed and frustrated by ANC promises of a new fee-free model having failed to materialise due to a lack of payment.
When President Zuma suddenly promised fee-free Higher Education in December last year he totally failed to take into account that this would be difficult to implement immediately.
The Minister of Higher Education and Training, Naledi Pandor, is aware of this crisis and has herself expressed frustration at its continuation right into the middle of the year. But so far, little movement has been made in improving the situation.
NSFAS should come to Parliament in the coming week, and explain to the public what it intends to do to address, as quickly as possible, this crisis.
Regards
Belinda Bozzoli MP
DA Shadow Minister of Higher Education and Training … [Read more...]